Spring arrives and the land smiles

On the 27th day of the first month of the first year of Tian Shou, the weather was even colder than when Qing Yan ascended the throne last year.

Qi Shen requested an audience with Qing Yan at the Jingxin Hall again; this was the fifteenth time this month.

Since consuming the Netherworld Blood Orchid of Immortal Doctor Valley, Qi Shen has regarded himself as Qingyan's husband, constantly chasing after her to check her pulse. He has secretly taken over all of Luo Qing's work.

But Qi Shen was self-aware; after all, he couldn't compare to the other four. Without the opportunity to serve the emperor, he could only try to cling to Qing Yan whenever he could.

"Your Majesty, Young Master Qi has come again to inquire about your health," Li Chun announced, his voice laced with suppressed laughter.

"Has the snow stopped?" Qingyan neither agreed nor disagreed, but casually asked about the weather.

"Your Majesty, the heavy snow has been falling since last night and is now up to our ankles," Li Chun replied.

Qingyan put down the vermilion brush, and Li Chun quickly served her a teacup.

"Let him wait in the warm pavilion." Qingyan thought for a moment and then added, "Make sure the underfloor heating is running high."

Sichuan is in the south, with a mild climate, unlike the bone-chilling cold of the north. Qi Shen probably has never experienced it.

"Yes," Li Chun replied and left.

The memorials on the desk were piled up like a small mountain. Qingyan rubbed her temples, having been reviewing them for nearly two hours, and her body was a little stiff.

Suddenly, a pair of hands appeared on my shoulders, and the massage technique was quite unique.

"Didn't I tell you to wait in the warm pavilion?" Qingyan said, half-closing her eyes as she enjoyed the soothing massage.

"I was worried about Your Majesty's health and acted rashly." Qi Shen's hands did not stop; he moved up along Qing Yan's shoulders and neck and pressed the acupoints on her head.

He always comes with a different excuse when he wants to see me; he's really playing games and being pretentious.

The massage was very comfortable, and Qingyan fell asleep leaning against the dragon throne.

Qi Shen looked at Qing Yan's sleeping face. Stray hairs fell across her forehead and around her eyes. Her tired face was clearly visible. The dragon crown pressed down on her hair, which seemed a little heavy and made her frown slightly.

Compared to her radiant beauty when we first met, Qingyan now exudes a heroic air between her brows.

Qi Shen picked her up and placed her on the soft couch by the window. He couldn't help but kiss her forehead. Qingyan was fast asleep and didn't wake up.

After sleeping for about half an hour, Qingyan slowly woke up and saw Qi Shen taking her pulse.

"He really did come to check on my health," Qingyan thought to herself with a smile, originally assuming this was just an excuse for him to come and see her.

"How is it?" Qingyan asked.

"Your Majesty is in good health and enjoys a carefree life." Qi Shen really dared to say that.

"Kang Le Wu You?" Qing Yan pointed to the desk. "They are all memorials expressing concern that I have no successor. Half of them are advising me to take a new heir, and the other half are advising me to adopt a son."

Since Qingyan strongly urged Prince Rui and Xue Yanran to get together, their relationship has progressed rapidly. Last autumn, Prince Rui welcomed Xue Yanran into his home, and before the new year, they announced their good news. She is now nearly three months pregnant.

Therefore, some people in the court proposed adopting Prince Rui as an heir, arguing that the imperial succession was the foundation of the nation. Prince Rui was the Empress's full brother, and this was something that everyone would have liked to do.

"What are Your Majesty's plans?" Qi Shen asked cautiously.

Qingyan smiled and sat up:

"In their view, my harem has six husbands, and none of them have conceived after a year on the throne. Either they are not good enough, or I am not good enough. If they are not good enough, I will have to take in a new one. If I am not good enough, then I will have to adopt one. Prince Rui's offspring are naturally the best choice."

"However, most of the ministers believe that I am not capable, after all, I had to fake a pregnancy before and claim that I had miscarried twice. Although the Imperial Hospital tried its best to confirm that I was healthy, it did not help to arouse suspicion."

"This is also something you and Luo Qing did unfairly. Didn't you say that acupuncture would cure it in six months? Why is it still like this?"

"Your Majesty has wronged me." Qi Shen lowered his eyes slightly. "I asked Aunt Zhui'er, and Your Majesty only summons the emperor once every ten days or half a month. The frequency is too low and is far from what I said before."

Qingyan was taken aback, recalling the promise Qi Shen made to Luo Qing more than a year ago: if she wanted to get pregnant after six months of treatment, she would need frequent sexual intercourse to achieve the desired effect; otherwise, she would need three to five years of treatment.

At the time, Qingyan thought her father's health could still withstand it, so she chose the former, but—

However, without resolving the issue of having offspring, all the hard work of the past year would be in vain. The hard-won progress couldn't be ruined by the problem of having a child. Qingyan gritted her teeth:

"Very well, it's all up to you. I want to be pregnant within three months."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Qi Shen smiled, as if his wicked scheme had succeeded.

That night, Qingyan felt a little tired and was about to go to bed early when Qi Shen came to see her again.

Didn't I just see this guy at noon?

After thinking for a moment, Qingyan decided to let Zhuier lead him in.

Upon entering, Qi Shen said he had important matters to report privately, so Qing Yan dismissed his attendants, leaving him alone in the inner chamber.

"Speak, what is it?" Over the past year, Qi Shen has made sure to come and make his presence known whenever he has a spare moment, and he always tries to please her in various ways, which Qing Yan finds quite novel.

Qi Shen looked at Qing Yan after she removed her dragon crown, and she looked even more radiant and beautiful than during the day. He couldn't help but be even more moved. He calmed himself down, took a deep breath, took off his cloak, and threw it on the ground.

"Your Majesty desires to conceive within three months, and I have come here to obey your decree."

Beneath the cloak, Qi Shen wore only a thin long robe, the collar of which was wide open, revealing the firm muscles on his chest with beautiful and clear lines. The ties were loosely tied at his waist, looking as if they were about to come undone. His shoes and socks had also been taken off, and his distinct knuckles were on the gold-flecked floral mat in front of the bed.

This action startled Qingyan, and she fell onto the bed as Qi Shen approached.

"What are you doing?"

“Naturally, it’s to help Your Majesty conceive.” Qi Shen didn’t stop, but instead trapped Qingyan between his arms.

The intense heat enveloped Qingyan; she had never seen Qi Shen so powerful before.

"I am asking you to make the arrangements, not for me to make the arrangements. If it is to start tonight, then go and call Luo Qing over."

"Luo Qing returned to Immortal Doctor Valley the day before yesterday."

Qingyan thought for a moment and remembered that there was such a thing.

"Then, go and call Ning Yuan over."

"General Ning is currently on duty in the military camp in the capital region and will not be able to return for another three days."

"Yunxuan, where is Yunxuan?"

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten that the Court of Judicial Review is investigating a series of murders in the capital, and Lord Fu has not returned to the palace for three days?"

"blue--"

Before Qingyan could finish speaking, Qi Shen interrupted, "The new official in Suizhou has taken office. You asked Prince Zhao to bring the Xuanjia Army back and put it under the command of the Ning family army. At this time, Prince Zhao is probably still on his way and will not arrive in the capital for half a month."

So this was a trap set for me while everyone else was out.

Qingyan was both annoyed and amused.

"So, you're saying that you're the only one left in the harem now, right?"

“No, Sicheng is also here,” Qi Shen said. “However, he has many concerns, so I came in his place.”

These two are actually together now.

Qingyan smiled inwardly, but her face remained serious, and her tone became slightly more authoritative: "You, how dare you."

Qi Shen was taken aback, quickly released Qing Yan, and knelt down in front of her, looking helpless.

Sure enough, that was just to bolster his courage; his cool demeanor lasted only three seconds.

Qingyan chuckled softly, then laughed out loud.

The laughter seemed to act as a catalyst; Qi Shen quickly looked up at Qing Yan, then crawled forward on his knees, took her hand, and kissed the back of her hand with deep affection and passion.

"Your Majesty, may I call you Qingqing? Every time I see Luo Qing call you that, I am so envious, so envious that my blood boils."

Before Qingyan could agree, Qi Shen continued speaking to himself:

"You are like the bright moon. I originally thought that it would be enough to just look at you from afar, but over the past year, I have become increasingly unable to control myself."

"I know that I have offended you today, but could you please not send me away, so that I can still watch from afar, considering that I am still of use to you?"

"Just look at it from afar, that's enough."

Qi Shen stood up and looked deeply at Qing Yan. Seeing that Qing Yan still wouldn't budge, he had no choice but to turn around and pick up the cloak from the ground. He was reluctant to leave, but he had to go.

"Stop." Qingyan pursed her lips.

His love was so humble, completely unlike the spirited young master of the Qi family he was when they first met.

Over the past year, Qingyan has witnessed Qi Shen's affection for her. Not only did he infuse her with a large amount of true energy each time he used the Jiuyang method to treat her, but he also stayed up all night to develop medicine when an epidemic broke out in the disaster-stricken area. Furthermore, when there was a shortage of manpower, he went alone to the most dangerous epidemic area for consultation. In every single instance, he did his best to express his love.

Because he disliked uncertainty, he swallowed the Netherworld Blood Orchid, entrusting his life and death to his own hands.

If we remain indifferent, it seems we'll become heartless.

Qingyan extended her hand to Qi Shen:

"I promised Luo Qing that Qingqing is his exclusive one. From now on, when no one is around, you can call me Qing'er."